Reviews

Salt Lake magazine - Mary Malouf

If the new Alamexo Cantina drink menus look familiar, that’s because they should – the menus were designed to evoke familiarity for customers and create an entry point for the average drinker for tequila and mezcal. Take, for instance, the Medicina Botanica – Espolón reposado, ginger agave, lemon and a Wahaka Mezcal float. The menu also has Mexican favorites with slight twists: a paloma made with grapefruit juice rather than grapefruit soda and an Espolón blanco low-rider with a Grand Marneir float, for example. And, as always, the house margarita can be made with any of the tequilas on the menu, and there are plenty to choose from.

Utah Stories

Matt Lake, the owner and executive chef at Alamexo Cantina, is passionate about Mexican cuisine. He doesn’t cut corners when it comes to sourcing ingredients, which is one of the things that separates his Mexican meals from so many others. Everything at Alamexo is made from scratch. And thankfully, the service reaches the same lofty notes. Headed up by ever-vigilant GM Susan Bouldin, the Cantina staff achieves the perfect blend of professionalism and friendliness.

Chef Lake has been developing his south-of-the-border cooking skills for quite some time, including stints at Mark Miller’s Coyote Café and New York’s renown Rosa Mexicano. What makes Alamexo so different from myriad Mexican restaurants in town is that Lake offers customers tastes from the various regional cuisines of Mexico. He says, “This is the only cuisine I can eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I just really love the food and the people.”

SLC Eats

Alamexo Cantina added a new “Cantina Happy Hour” of $4 Botanas from 3-5 p.m. Each week will feature a rotating selection of small bites available a la carte in additional to their regular menu – some afternoon treats like you’d find at a bar in Mexico. The menu will change weekly to take advantage of the freshest ingredients from local farms and ranches.

Darby Doyle for City Weekly - What We're Eating

With just one bite, this dish brought my taste buds right back to my years of living in southern Arizona and New Mexico. We'd buy smoky ears of corn fresh off the grill at grocery store parking lots, soccer matches and pretty much every festival. Hell, I even bought elotes from an enterprising guy who set up his cart right on I-10 between Deming and Las Cruces when we were stuck in traffic for over two hours. The Mexican street corn's husk was supposed to work as both a handle and to catch all its drippy goodness of queso fresco, mayo and lime juice, but it'd invariably ooze down from the cob. Ever tried to lick your own elbow? Not pretty. Fortunately for our fellow diners at Alamexo Cantina, Chef Matthew Lake's version hits all the same sweet, smoky and savory buttons, but with more approachable (and dignified) off-the-cob eating. Served with a generous mix of lime aioli, queso fresco and a nice hit of chile molido this side is a must-order. Elbow lickin' optional.

Ted Scheffler - City Weekly

The cantina's spring menu features dishes like enchiladas con mole Poblanoand enchiladas Suizas, plus new tacos like the smoky tacos de pollo y adobo and tacos de pescado mixtos for seafood lovers. Additional items include the sweet and savory plátanos con crema and elotes de la calle, the popular—and tasty—street-cart-style corn on the cob with lime aioli and queso fresco. ¡Provecho!

Deseret News

What’s the best restaurant in Salt Lake? Alamexo is tops for Mexican

Salt Lake magazine – Dining Award Winner

GastronomicSLC.com - Best Mexican for 2017

Only in Your State

You don’t want to miss out on the guacamole here. It’s so fresh that it’s made right at your table, and it’s absolutely perfect. If you love tacos, you’ve come to the right place. Some of the best dishes here aren’t even on the menu. The daily specials are creative and unique.

Heather King - Devour - Eat Your Veggies

At chef and owner Matt Lake’s newest restaurant, Alamexo Cantina near 9th and 9th, you’ll find the humble elotes side dish. Celebrating the simplicity and flavors found south of the border, this Mexican street corn dish surprises and delights – bright kernels dressed with an addictive lime aioli, a generous dusting of queso fresco and a sprinkle of mild chile molido. It pairs perfectly with a margarita custom made with your choice of tequila.

Salt Lake magazine - Mary Malouf

I expect to spend quite a bit of time here. It’s close to my office and serves food I love more than any other, an affection I share with Chef Lake. Authenticity, teamwork and sustainability still rule, but the Cantina’s hallmark is an informal, convivial style of dining Lake believes is absolutely new.

Salt Lake Tribune - Heather May

Matt Lake, the award-winning chef behind the successful Mexican restaurant Alamexo in downtown Salt Lake City, has long wanted to open a more casual, family-friendly complement to that fine-dining establishment. He nailed the lively, vibrant vibe, with the space’s Mexican-tiled bar and colorful walls — painted mustard, red and deep purple, with the fourth made up of dozens of nooks filled with lighted candles.

The ambience is great for a drink from an extensive menu of margarita options and accompanied by endless house-made chips and excellent guacamole. The main dishes intrigue with bright and surprising flavors. The Oaxaca cheese and wild mushroom enchiladas, with a base of cremini aside an ever-changing cast of available funghi, served with ranchera salsa, was by far a table favorite. The chicken enchiladas, covered in a green chile and pumpkin seed salsa, also prompted raves.

801 Eats

Known for its contemporary food, Alamexo is serving local, homemade Mexican food...that packs a punch and leaves you craving more. The short rib barbacoa enchilada is a must. It was truly top notch. Service was excellent!

Fox 13-Matt Lake Live

Alamexo Cantina Chef Matt Lake shows us how to make some delicious Mexican Street Corn!

Salt Lake Magazine-Mary Malouf

Chef’s Chops: Lake was named Food & Wine magazine’s Best New Chef in 1996. As a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, he trained under Chef Mark Miller at the now-defunct D.C. Red Sage. He created Mexican specialty cuisine at Rosa Mexicano in New York City, one of the city’s best upscale Mexican restaurants.

GastronomicSLC.com-Stuart Melling

Now open in the 9th and 9th area and by all counts, doing great business, and for good reason. I’m a long-term fan of Alamexo and Lake’s cooking. I’ve had a few sneak previews of the food and am excited about this spot, I guarantee it will be impossible to get a seat on a sunny Summer afternoon on the patio next year.

City Weekly-Ted Scheffler

Since opening in 2014, Matthew Lake's Alamexo Mexican Kitchen has been a standout Salt Lake City restaurant serving authentic, refined regional Mexican fare. Although it's far from formal, Lake has desired for some time to open a more casual, eatery offering the same top-notch cuisine, but in a cantina-type atmosphere. Whether you pop in for a margarita and botanas (appetizers) or a full meal, you'll really love what Lake and his team have done with the place.

Utah Style & Design - Brad Mee

Alamexo Cantina glows in bright lights above the open patio of the newest addition to Salt Lake’s hip 9th and 9th neighborhood scene. The very cool (and much anticipated) eatery is the latest offering by owner and Executive Chef Matt Lake who is known for his award-winning Alamexo Mexican Kitchen downtown. The Cantina’s easy-going, celebrate-the-moment style of dining translates to its simple, yet festive décor. Not surprisingly, the menu at the Cantina is just as intriguing as the downtown version, but it’s more casual, more come-as-you-are. The space is large, welcoming and relaxed. You have to love Lake’s passion and enthusiasm.

Salt Lake Tribune - Kathy Stephenson

With Alamexo Cantina, Utah chef/owner Matt Lake hopes to replicate the casual dining experience one might find in a market in Mexico. The menu features gourmet enchiladas, tacos and other Mexican specialties.

SLCeats.com - Ryan Kendrick

For those of you who haven't been to Alamexo downtown, or his previous project, ZY, I highly suggest you try Chef Lake's creations out. He is, in my opinion, one of the most talented chefs in the city. His newest project is Alamexo Cantina, which opened this week in the 9th and 9th neighborhood. The cantina cuisine is reminiscent of a street market in Mexico, but in a sit-down situation. There is a gorgeous candle wall that is interesting during the bright daytime hours, but turns into something living, breathing, and very special at night.

GastronomicSLC.com

If you've been eagerly awaiting the completion of this new restaurant, mark your calendars, because Alamexo Cantina opens in the 9th and 9th neighborhood on Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017. Owner and Executive Chef Matt Lake, the man behind the award-winning Alamexo, has long been planning this more casual, Mexican market-style cantina for some time. He and his staff are excited to introduce a neighborhood gathering place where everything is served in a bright casual setting, much like diners would experience in a Mexican market.